My Little Pony: Talismans are Magic

Chapter 2:  Here Comes the Dark Hoof

It was already high noon, and both Twilight and Spike had not heard anything back from Princess Celestia.  The purple unicorn was pacing in circles as she worried that someone else might have already found the Rooster talisman.  “The clock is ticking.  The clock, is, ticking!”  Twilight kept saying to herself.  “Snap out of it, Twilight!”  Spike said trying to give Twilight more comfort to her mind.   “Princess Celestia has never let us down, and we should -urp!”  Spike burped out a green flame, which then turned in to a scroll.  “I hope it's from the Princess!”  Twilight said, quickly opening the letter.

Dear Twilight,

The first talisman, which bares the image of a rooster, is located somewhere in Ponyville where a weather vane resides.  I wish I knew the exact location, but I'm confident that you'll find it.  Be very careful Twilight.  There could be dark forces on the move as we speak. -Princess Celestia

“That's one less thing to worry about,” said Spike.  “As long as it's in Ponyville, we'll find it in no time!”  “I wouldn't get too overconfident,”  Twilight said.  “We could be facing some tough opposition, so we can't let our guard down.  But without further to do, Spike;  it's time to find the talisman!”  The duo had officially started what was going to be a difficult and unforgettable quest.

Things were also getting interesting with Trixie and her new affiliates in Manehattan.  “So glad that the three of you could make it.” Trixie said to the odd looking earth ponies.  She turned around to look over at Shendu, whom was probably the real center of attention within the group.  “Shendu, I present to you my uncle's three best enforcers: Finn, Ratso, and Chow.”  Finn was an average sized pony with a slicked back red mane, a white coat, green eyes, and had a disco ball for a cutie mark.  He even wore a gold medallion around his neck to look spiffy.  Ratso was a somewhat bigger pony with a dark gray mane, a light gray coat, and red eyes.  Despite his ghoulish appearance, Ratso had a teddy bear cutie mark which didn't seem to make sense to anyone else.  He also had a white bandage across his muzzle for unknown reasons.  Chow was the only one amongst the three enforcers that was a little below average height for a stallion, but his looks and attitude compensated for his size.  He had a short black mane, a dark gray coat, and wore yellow prescription sunglasses.  His cutie mark looked exactly like the sunglasses he wore.  Chow lowered his sunglasses as his way of greeting Shendu, which revealed his brown colored eyes.  “Does she really think the statue's alive?”  Finn whispered, sounding a bit concerned for Trixie's sanity.  “I think she even talks to it.” Ratso whispered back to Finn.  “Don't think I can't hear you over there!”  Shendu yelled, catching the enforcers off guard.  “You are in the presence of a demon sorcerer, and it would be very wise for all of you not to underestimate my power.”  “Okay Shendude, we're all ears.”  Finn panicked, still in stock from the dragon's anger.  Chow and Ratso were way too freaked out to comment.

“I found Shendu locked in one of Princess Celestia's chambers in Canterlot Castle, which means that he was kept in there for a very good reason.” said Trixie.  “After a detailed discussion of his origins, Shendu has entrusted that we search for his twelve talismans, so that we can then be rewarded the lost treasure of Chin Sheewong.  If that's not enough to persuade you, I will even help cover your travel expenses,” said Trixie.  “Matter of fact, here are some year-long boarding passes each of you can use to travel on any express train in Equestria.  Believe me, you will need these to make the search easier.”  “Thanks for the tickets,”  Ratso said while fidgeting his hooves.  “But shouldn't you also invest in housekeeping and-” “Oof!” Finn and Chow punched Ratso in the chest before he could ask anymore stupid questions.  “Yes I'm aware of the living conditions, but we still have priorities.”  Trixie continued.  “I'm confident that you'll be able to find what we need before anyone else gets in the way.”  Another thought came in to Trixie's head after a quick glance of her henchmen.  “With your help, my leadership, and Shendu's treasure, we can also revive what was lost before and bring back the Dark Hoof!”  “Now you're talkin' Great T” Finn said, sounding much happier.  “We could bring back the greatest crime syndicate that we used to be in!”  Chow exclaimed.  “But for now you all will need to keep a low profile.”  Shendu said in response to Chow. “Once I am out of my prison, you are all free to do as you wish with your so-called crime syndicate.  The first talisman is located in Ponyville where young fillies and colts gather.”  “You heard the dragon, so get to it!”  Trixie commanded.  “We're on it, great and powerful T.”  Finn answered.  Having said that, the enforcers embarked on their way to the nearest train station.

Meanwhile, the heroes continued their search for the first talisman, only to be disappointed with how long their search has been.  “We have to keep looking for any house or building with a weather vane on the roof.” Twilight said. “But that's just about every place in Ponyville.”  said Spike.  “We've been at it for hours, and I'm beginning to think that we're going in circles.”  As much as it pained Twilight to hear Spike's observation, she knew he was right. Just about every single business, home, apartment, etc. had a weather vane on the rooftop.  They were also getting close to the Ponyville Schoolhouse,  when Spike had a thought come to him.  “I really think we should ask our friends to help out on this.”  he said.  “The Princess even suggested that earlier today.”  “Yeah, you're right Spike.  I shouldn't have been too hasty from the get go.  For all the other talismans, I promise I'll let Applejack, Rarity, and-” “Um, Twilight” Spike interrupted.  “I hate to cut you off, but we've got company!”  Twilight and Spike were only a couple feet away from the schoolhouse when they saw three ponies that looked very out of place.  “You guys must be new around here, can I help you?”  Twilight asked.

“As a matter of fact, you can.”  Finn answered back.  “You must be Twilight Sparkle.  I heard many things about you, and just so happened to overhear you talking to your baby dragon about talismans.”  “What interest do you have in them anyway?”  Twilight responded.  It was blatantly obvious to Twilight and Spike that the shady stallions were not there to become allies.  “I'm only gonna ask you once, Sparkle.  Where's the talisman?”  Finn asked with a more impatient voice.  “I don't have it, and I don't know where it is.”  Twilight snapped.  “Very well, have it your way”  Finn replied.  “Ratso, Chow, let's nail her!”  “Spike, keep searching while I keep these guys distracted." said Twilight, while she prepared to defend herself. “I'm on it.” said Spike.

Twilight's first instinct was simply just to run; exactly what she did anyway.  The enforcers pursued after her until they all got to the school playground.  Twilight yelled out to all the young pony children “No more playtime, get in the building!”  All of the children, confused and startled, fled in to the schoolhouse as soon as they saw Twilight's pursuers She did not want to severely hurt the assailants, but at the same time she knew she still had to defend herself.  Finn was the first one to go in for the attack, running at Twilight with a head charge.  Quickly prepared, Twilight kicked over a nearby crate of dodge balls that all rolled towards Finn.  The red haired brute stumbled upon the mess of dodge balls and fell flat on his face.  Ratso and Chow charged in at the same time towards the witty unicorn.  Twilight ran again, and lured both of them through a swing set.  As soon as the two slow-minded enforcers got close enough, Twilight used her unicorn magic to tangle up Ratso and Chow in the swings.  While Spike continued to look around the schoolhouse; avoiding the action going on between Twilight and the enforcers, something caught his attention very fast. On top of the bell tower of the schoolhouse, Spike gazed at a weather vane with a rooster silhouette baring an octagon shaped rock. No doubt about it, Spike was  absolutely certain that it was the Rooster talisman.  With a determined look in his eye, Spike proceeded to climb the back of the schoolhouse to make his way to the top of the bell tower.

Twilight still continued to defend herself, thinking of any means necessary to bide enough time for Spike to obtain the talisman.  Some of her magic techniques on balls and jump ropes were quite affective and entertaining at the same time; even the young colts and fillies inside the schoolhouse watched in amazement as Twilight used all kinds of playground equipment to her advantage.  After enough humiliation, the trio surrendered the fight.  “Let's get outta here!”  Finn cried out, while they fled the scene.  Once the enforcers were no where to be scene, all of the young ponies inside the school came out the front door and cheered for Twilight as they circle around her.  The Cutie Mark Crusaders were also among the children that showed even greater enthusiasm.  “That was some radical butt whooping you did, Twilight!”  Scootaloo complimented.  “You made it look so darn easy, how'd ya do it?”  Apple Bloom asked.  “You didn't even throw a punch or a kick!”  Sweetie Belle said.  Twilight happily looked at her filly friends and gave them strong words of advice.  “When I was your age, my best mentor taught me that sometimes, the greatest battle is never fought.”  Twilight noticed from a distance Spike holding on to something as he got down from the school building “Twilight, I got it, I got it!  Spike said hustling over through the crowd.  As Spike held the object in his claw, Twilight couldn't believe that she was already feasting her eyes upon the Rooster talisman.  “That was very brave of you to climb for that, Spike.”  Twilight said.  “But we need to get back home before we draw anymore attention.”  The young ponies waved goodbye as Twilight and Spike hurried back to the library.

When the Dark Hoof enforcers arrived back to their small headquarters, the self-important mare was not amused at all with the bad report.  "So what you're telling me is that my uncle's three best enforcers, who have years and years of crime experience, were defeated singled-hoofed by one measly mare?" Trixie questioned as she look at her henchmen with a condescending glare.  “She ain't no ordinary unicorn, great T.”  Finn pleaded.  “She's really good with magic, we didn't stand a chance!”  Chow whined in embarrassment.  Trixie nodded with a curt expression.  “Tohru!...”  Shortly after Trixie called out an unfamiliar name, loud footsteps were heard throughout the hideout, and then a gigantic earth pony appeared before the enforcers. He was a cream coated stallion with his black mane tied in to a short ponytail, and had a grape soda cutie mark underneath his brown overalls; his slanted eyes gave him a more serious and intimidating look.  Each of the enforcers was speechless when they looked up at who was mostly liked the biggest pony in all of Equestria.  "Whoa..." Ratso said, feeling inferior to the giant. Without even saying a word, Tohru bear hugged Finn, Ratso, and Chow between his two front hooves, squeezing them tight for two seconds, and then dropped all three of them at once to the floor “Tohru, bring me the talisman.”  Trixie said with a stern look.  "While your Tohru does impress me,” Shendu commented.  “I shall also aid you and your men with my own servants, the Shadowkahn..."  Slowly but surely, a group of black clad figures slowly materialized from the shadows. What really freaked everyone out in the room about these beings was that they were not ponies. They were creatures that stood on two legs, making them at least two feet taller than an average sized pony. Their eyes had a red gaze just like Shendu, and each one had their mouth concealed by a face mask.  “Very well.”  said Trixie.  “And Tohru.  Should you happen to meet our friend Twilight Sparkle... eliminate her.”  “Yes master.”  Tohru answered.

Back in the library, Twilight and Spike rummaged through book after book until they both looked like they were about to pass out from boredom.  The moon was already up in the sky, and Twilight had made no progress on discovering the magic of the Rooster talisman.  “I don't understand what any of this means,” said Twilight, confused and stressed.   “I can't find anything all about about these strange markings on the back of the talisman.” “Do you think anyone can translate it for us?” Spike asked.  “I highly doubt it, Spike.  There isn't anybody in Equestria that could...”  Twilight paused for a brief moment when she had a mental breakthrough all the sudden.  “That's it!  Spike, the only one that can understand these symbols is the creator of the talismans, the dragon demon!”  As Twilight hurried upstairs to write a letter, Spike caught a glimpse of fast movement outside the window through his peripheral vision.  “Um, Twilight.  I know this might sound weird, but I think we're being watched from outside.”  Spike said, getting nervous.  “Don't worry Spike, it's probably an owl or a bat that flew by.”  Twilight said, with her attention on writing back to the princess.  “I dunno, I got a bad feeling about this.”  said Spike, feeling even more frightened.  “Alright, Spike.”  Twilight said walking back down the stairs.  “I'll just take a quick look around to show there are- WHAT IN EQUESTRIA!?!?”  After Twilight opened the front door, both her and the baby dragon were scared stiff when they looked outside to see 10 Shadowkhan ninjas surrounding the library.  To make things worse, the gigantic Tohru stood about 20 feet away across from Twilight.  “The talisman!”  Tohru demanded.  “Spike, stay inside!  I'll deal with the big one.”  Twilight ordered.  “Just don't let any of those fiends get in.”  “Understood.”  said Spike.  “When Spike closed the door, Twilight stepped outside and created a magical barrier that covered the entire library.  Spike knew that he needed to hide the talisman somewhere safe so in case the ninjas got in, they wouldn't find it.  With his dragons wits, he got a clever idea and swallowed the talisman.

As the Shadowkhan continuously attempted to break through the barrier, Twilight was left to face off against Tohru.  “Rargh!”  Tohru roared as he charged full speed ahead, but Twilight acted fast.  She used her telekinesis on a nearby wooden wheelbarrow to intercept Tohru, hoping that it would knock him to the ground.  To Twilight's surprise, the brute smashed through the wheelbarrow without breaking a sweat, and he even gave a cocky smirk at Twilight.  Tohru had also gotten close enough to where he was in reaching distance to grab the unicorn.  His movements were also very fast, even for a pony his size, that he got a hold of Twilight's neck before she could react quickly enough.  The size of Tohru's hooves and the strength of his bear hug put Twilight in a serious bind that she could not maintain the magic barrier, causing it to subside.  The Shadowkhan quickly broke in, forcing Spike to move fast on his feet as he did everything he could to avoid getting caught.  When the ninjas cornered the baby dragon where he couldn't run anywhere else, Spike's survival instincts kicked in.  “Stop!”  Spike yelled when all the sudden, a surge of energy fired up in his stomach, and every single black ninja in the library was suspended in the air.  Spike found it hard to believe that he stopped the Shadowkhan with his mind; nevertheless, he used his new levitation powers to slam the ninjas in to the ground.  Poof!  Each of them vanished into dust, and Spike was in no more danger.  “Oh no!  Twilight!  She needs my help!”  Spike panicked.  He got outside to see the horror of his master getting crushed in Tohru's grasp.  “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”  Spike murmured as he prepared to use his telekinesis on the assailant.    Tohru looked around in confusion, and noticed that he was levitated into the air.  In the meantime, Twilight had used this opportunity to slip from the clutches of her enemy before getting too far from the ground.  “He's big, I can't hold on much longer...” Spike said as his eyes were straining from all the pressure.  To make the best of the situation, Spike hurled  Tohru away from the perimeter of the library, and sent him flying in to a market stand, landing with a loud crash. “Ughhhh...” Tohru moaned and eventually passed out.

“Twilight!  Twilght!  Are you alright!”  Spike cried out.  “Wow, I didn't know you could use magic.”  Twilight said as she laid on the ground.  “Actually, I think it was the talisman that gave me those powers.”  Spike answered back.  “I swallowed it so that the bad guys couldn't find it anywhere else.”  Spike helped Twilight get to her bed since she could barely stand after wrestling with Tohru.  “We need to get you to Ponyville Hospital, those injuries look very severe.”  Spike said with great concern.  “I'll contact Applejack and Big Macintosh to help get you over there tomorrow.”  “We also need to get that talisman out of your belly.”  Twilight joked.  “I don't think the Princess wants to have a magic rock inside a baby dragon.”  Twilight looked up at the ceiling and then looked over to her companion.  “You've been right the whole time about one thing.”  Twilight said to Spike.  “What's that, Twilight?”  Spiked curiously asked.  “Friends really do make a difference.” Twilight said with a smile, before she passed out on the bed.

End of Chapter 2